Councillors in Bradford are calling for £14.6m in funding from the scrapped Squire Lane Leisure Centre project to be invested in sports facilities and community centres in some of the district’s most deprived areas.
The three Independent councillors representing Manningham ward want the money, originally earmarked for the leisure centre, to remain within the Bradford West constituency, with residents given a direct say over how it is spent.
Bradford Council’s Reform UK-led Executive voted to abandon the long-planned Squire Lane Leisure Centre in summer 2026, despite the project having secured £20m from the previous Conservative Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The council argued that the development’s £32.9m cost was too high and that it could not afford the ongoing expense of operating the swimming pool.
Although the scheme had received planning permission earlier this year and more than £5m had already been spent, it was initially expected that the Government would reclaim the remaining £14.6m.
However, it emerged last month that Bradford Council would be allowed to retain the funding.
The decision has prompted competing calls for how the money should be used, including proposals to reopen Bingley Pool in the Shipley constituency and refurbish the Greenwood Centre.
Councillors call for investment in Manningham and Toller
Manningham Independent councillors Muhammed Ali Islam, Mohammed Saliss and Haseeb Khan are now urging Bradford Council to guarantee that the remaining funding stays within Bradford West.
Their proposals include improvements to existing sports facilities, support for struggling community centres and a new community-led capital grants programme allowing residents to influence spending decisions.
The councillors argue that although the original leisure centre project has been abandoned, the needs of the communities it was intended to serve remain unchanged.
They said: “The original reasons for this funding have not disappeared. Bradford Council’s original 2021 Government funding application specifically highlighted the deprivation and inequalities experienced in Manningham and Toller, identifying these communities as central to the case for investment at Squire Lane.
“The application highlighted significant challenges, including economic inactivity, unemployment, low educational attainment, health inequalities, physical inactivity and a shortage of accessible leisure facilities.”
Bradford Council’s deprivation analysis identified Manningham as consistently the most deprived ward in the district across most measures, while Toller ranked fifth among Bradford’s 30 wards in the 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Cllr Muhammed Ali Islam said: “Our young people still need opportunities. Our sporting facilities still need investment. Our community centres still need support.
“We cannot allow millions of pounds secured on the basis of our communities’ needs to simply be redirected elsewhere.”
Manningham Sports Centre among priorities for funding
The councillors have identified Manningham Sports Centre as an immediate priority, warning that its AstroTurf pitch is in “a deteriorating condition and requires significant refurbishment.”
Cllr Mohammed Saliss said: “Manningham Sports Centre is an important community asset. Its AstroTurf needs serious attention.
“We should be investing in what we already have, bringing our facilities up to standard and making sure the next generation has opportunities that previous generations have been denied.”
They are also calling for investment in the AstroTurf facilities at Scotchman Fields.
Another proposal would establish a community capital investment programme, enabling eligible community centres and organisations to apply for grants towards essential improvements, with local residents helping to decide which projects receive funding.
Toller councillor Zohair Kamran, of Bradford Independent, has made a similar call for the money to remain in the area.
He has also suggested investing part of the funding in the Scotchman Road site.
Cllr Kamran said: “The people of Toller Ward deserve the promise they were given. They should not be left behind because the original plans have been abandoned. If the Council is serious about tackling deprivation and investing in our communities, then it must demonstrate that commitment through meaningful investment in Toller and across Bradford West.”
Bradford Council yet to decide how £14.6m will be spent
Bradford Council’s Reform UK-led Executive has confirmed that no decision has been made on how the remaining funding will be allocated.
Council Leader Cllr Stephen Place welcomed the Government’s decision to allow the authority to retain the money but said it was too early to commit it to specific projects.
He said: “We warmly welcome that these monies will not be clawed back by national Government and that they remain available as a capital grant.
“As we have only learnt of these available monies very recently, we are not yet able to commit their use for any particular project across our district but, of course, will look to utilise them in future, to the benefit of Bradford residents.”
For now, the future of the £14.6m remains undecided, with councillors continuing to press for the investment to benefit the communities originally identified as needing improved leisure facilities.
